Diabetes Drug Actos Linked To Increased Risk Of Bladder Cancer

by fpw | November 22nd, 2011

November 22, 2011

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning about the increased risk of bladder cancer in patients taking the diabetes medication, Actos. According to WebMD Health News, the decision was the result of data culminated from a five-year study by the drug’s manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which showed an increase in the risk of the cancer in patients who had taken the drug over long periods of time or in large doses.

The study examined 193,000 diabetes patients taking Actos for an average of two years. Results stated, “Compared to never being exposed to pioglitazone, a duration of pioglitazone therapy longer than 12 months was associated with a 40 percent increase in risk [for bladder cancer].”

Since the decision, Actos has been pulled from European markets in Germany and France, and the FDA has warned doctors to refrain from starting new patients on the drug if they have bladder cancer or have suffered from bladder cancer in the past.